World Cup Odds: Brazil is favored against Croatia in the opening game of the 2014 World Cup on Thursday. The host country has a powerful team led by Neymar and they are expected to dominate Group A. Croatia is not a bad team but they are not expected to challenge Brazil in the opener. Brazil is listed as more than a 3-1 favorite on the three-way line. Here is a look at the game and World Cup picks.
Brazil -330, Croatia +1100, Draw +425, total 2.5
If you prefer to lay the goals instead of the money line you can lay the 1.5 goals on Brazil at even money.
Brazil
Brazil is the overall favorite to win the 2014 World Cup. They are playing at home which is great for them but it also puts a lot of pressure on them to perform. The team has a ton of talent but it is also very young talent so there could be some opening match nerves. They have some very good attacking options in Neymar and Oscar and they have enough defense to control the teams in Group A. The interesting part about the opener is that it could be their toughest game in Group A.
Croatia
The second spot in Group A is totally up for grabs and it could be Croatia that gets it. They don’t figure to win this game against Brazil though. Croatia does have Mario Mandzukic who plays striker for Bayern Munich and they have midfielder Luka Modric who plays for Real Madrid. Those two players give them a chance to be competitive in Group A.
World Cup Picks
This is actually a dangerous opener for Brazil. They are faced with a ton of expectations to win this opener and win it convincingly. I am not so sure that happens. Croatia is a good team and I think they can stay in this game. I will take a shot with Croatia on the goal line at +1.5 goals and I will also play the game under the total.
